Press

FRAMINGHAM, MA – JANUARY 05, 2001 – IDG World Expo, the world’s leading producer of IT-focused conferences and expositions, today released a preview of what attendees can expect at the upcoming LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, January 30 – February 2, 2001. The event will take place at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and is expected to be the largest gathering of Linux operating system vendors and developers to date. Attendees will have first-hand access to an array of innovative technologies, industry initiatives and announcements from major corporations.

"We expect our exhibitors to make hundreds of new product announcements at the show," said Charlie Greco, president and CEO, IDG World Expo. "More than any other technology, Linux is continually evolving in new and exciting ways. Product and service innovations are happening at lightning speed, so each show sets a new benchmark for important industry news."

Greco added, "Our attendees come to LinuxWorld Conference & Expo because they want to see what’s new, get a jump on what the future holds and leapfrog the competition. Coming to the show is the smartest way to stay ahead."

Analysts at International Data Corporation (IDC) report that Linux is now the fastest-growing operating system, and companies large and small have become converts to open-source computing. In a highly publicized announcement, IBM recently committed to spending $1 billion dollars on Linux in 2001. A Financial Times headline declared that "Big Blue’s new-found faith has Linux groups leaping."

Sam Palmisano, IBM’s president and chief operating officer, will be delivering a much-anticipated opening keynote address at LinuxWorld Conference & Expo on Wednesday, January 31. Palmisano is expected to discuss IBM’s plans for incorporating what he calls "open standards" into its organization. Likewise, Compaq Computer Corporation will expand on its Linux strategy for 2001 and will demonstrate new products and solutions for Linux at LinuxWorld Conference & Expo. According to IDC, Compaq is the market leader in installed servers running on Linux, with 27% market share.

Some 200 exhibitors are expected, and many of them will use the event to unveil new products, services, technologies and applications for the Linux server base. These will include:

·Linux support services and software

·Database management systems

·Embedded Linux to be installed on a variety of devices

·Data synchronization tools

·New server appliances

·Warehouse management software

·Backup and data protection technology

Attendees will also be front and center for a series of in-depth analyses and perspectives offered by industry leaders. In addition to Palmisano’s opening keynote address, other featured speakers include: William A. Swope, vice president of the Intel Architecture Group and general manager, Intel Architecture Solutions Enabling Group (SEG), will deliver his keynote address on Thursday, February 1, 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Swope will explore the use of Linux in the enterprise. Larry Augustin, founder, president and chief executive officer, VA Linux Systems, will speak on Thursday, February 1, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Dirk Hohndel, chief technology officer, SuSE Linux AG, will address the Linux community on Friday, February 2, 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Hohndel will discuss how and why large organizations are using Open Source software.

Other highlights and announcements from LinuxWorld Conference & Expo:

·"Boot Camps" and testing for Sair Linux and GNU Certified Administrator (LCA) Level, a $5,100 value, will be offered free to all conference attendees who register before January 15, 2001

·The Caldera Learning Center, located on the show floor, will provide attendees with a free, hands-on opportunity to test drive Caldera’s products

·The .Org Pavilion, sponsored by VA Linux, will give attendees the opportunity to meet and share ideas with leading figures who are driving the Linux phenomenon

·The "Golden Penguin Bowl," a raucous "geeks-only" game show, will again be hosted by Nicholas Petreley, contributing editor, LinuxWorld Magazine and InfoWorld

·The prestigious $25,000 IDG/Linus Torvalds Community Award will be presented to an organization, association or individual who has shown exceptional dedication to the open source movement

·A panel of industry experts will recognize product and service innovations with the Show Favorites Awards, presented in conjunction with the Uniforum Association

·On-site registration will begin for the next LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, August 27-30, 2001, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, a venue better able to accommodate the show’s growing popularity

The four-day LinuxWorld Conference & Expo will provide an in-depth conference program including 15 tutorials, up to 50 conference sessions and more than 200 exhibitors. The conference tutorials will take place on Tuesday, January 30, and will be broken into half-day sessions. Conference sessions will run from Wednesday, January 31 through Friday, February 2.

For More Information

For more LinuxWorld Conference & Expo information, or to register for the event, visit the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo Web site at www.linuxworldexpo.com, or call (800) 657-1474. For exhibiting opportunities, please contact Aramis Jordan (A-K) at (508) 424-4809 or Aramis_Jordan@idg.com or Beverly Griffith (L-Z) at (508) 424-4852 or Beverly_Griffith@idg.com.

About IDG World Expo

IDG World Expo (www.idgworldexpo.com) produces world-class tradeshows, conferences, and events for emerging IT markets around the globe. As the leading IT event management company, IDG World Expo leverages its unsurpassed experience and knowledge of IT-focused events and conferences, enabling technology companies to capture the attention and loyalty of influential buyers. IDG World Expo's portfolio of conferences and events includes ASPWorld Conference & Expo, COMNET Conference & Expo, Internet Commerce Expo (ICe), LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Macworld Conference & Expo and Internet Entertainment Expo (IEX). IDG World Expo is a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the leading global provider of IT media, research, conferences and expositions.

About IDG

IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers and 4,000 book titles and offers online users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (http://www.idg.net), which comprises more than 270 targeted Web sites in 70 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related expositions worldwide, and provides IT market analysis through 50 offices in 43 countries worldwide. Company information is available at www.idg.com.